THE TUFTS DAILY Est

Where You Cloudy Read It First 73/57 THE TUFTS DAILY Est. 1980 VOLUME LXII, NUMBER 13 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2011 TUFTSDAILY.COM University reports $32 million operating surplus BY ELIZAB E TH MCKAY year, which was $1 million more than Daily Editorial Board last year, Monaco’s email said. “We received more grant funding In the midst of poor economic con- than anticipated, providing faculty sal- ditions, the university experienced a ary support and additional indirect $29 million operating surplus for the cost recovery,” he added. fiscal year of 2011, according to Vice The university’s policy of self- President for Finance and Treasurer insured employee health care, as well Thomas McGurty. as miscellaneous expense savings, also Despite the surplus, administrators contributed to the surplus, McGurty voiced the need for continued financial added. responsibility in the face of possible In his email to the Tufts community, federal grant cuts and economic fluc- Monaco also cited a return on univer- tuations. sity investments as a contributing fac- University President Anthony tor in the surplus. Monaco announced the surplus in a The excess funds will go toward the Sept. 12 email to the Tufts community. university’s reserve funding, to be used The surplus is equivalent to about in the event of a budget deficit, accord- 4 percent of the university’s operating ing to McGurty. budget, according to McGurty. “All operating surpluses are added to The past fiscal year’s surplus repre- reserve accounts maintained for each sents a significant increase from the school and the university,” he said. VIRGINIA BLEDSOE/TUFTS DAILY fiscal year of 2010, which reported a “These reserves serve as a backstop The new UIT data center in Boston will mean a faster Tufts network with less downtime. budget surplus of only $3.8 million, if a school should operate with an according to McGurty. unanticipated budget deficit… [and] McGurty attributed the surplus to as a funding source for the renovation UIT leases new data center, several causes, including a growth in of existing facilities or construction of enrollment and increased grant fund- new space,” he added. ing. In his email Monaco also voiced a increases network speed “More students accepted our offer of need for prudence in the university’s admission than we had anticipated… financial planning going forward, cit- BY CORINN E SE GAL been an increased need for more result[ing] in additional tuition rev- ing fluctuation in financial markets as Daily Editorial Board space to host network providers and enue, although that was partially offset well as possible changes in federal and servers, Irish said. by higher financial aid costs,” McGurty state funding for higher education. Tufts’ new Boston data center UIT has long been considering told the Daily in an email. “We anticipate that we may need to promises to increase the speed and ways to improve the network speed Tufts gave $15 million to the Class of reliability of the Tufts network thanks and connectivity between Tufts’ three 2015 in need-based financial aid this see SURPLUS, page 2 to updated technology and additional campuses in Medford/Somerville, servers. Boston and Grafton, according to The leased space in the Markley Associate Director of Telephony and Group’s Boston Data Center, which Operations Kyle Pope. became functional this summer, “A few years ago, we started build- will house technology responsible ing out a plan to expand our network, for improving the efficiency of the and to make it more robust and reli- restructured, renamed Tufts network, according to Philip able,” Pope said. Pascale, associate director of network The university signed a lease for OfficeBY MofAHPARI Undergraduate SOTOUD E H Affairs Education and Dean Lowe’s office.” services for University Information space in the data center on last win- Daily Editorial Board The restructuring process began Technology (UIT). ter, moved in during the spring, and last year when James Glaser vacated The data center, described by by July 1 had installed the network, The Office of Undergraduate his post as dean of Undergraduate Director of Communications and according to Pope. Education this summer changed its title Education to assume the role of dean Organizational Effectiveness for UIT Other groups sharing space at the to the Office of Academic Advising and of Academic Affairs, and when Joanne Dawn Irish as one “one of the most data center include university tech- Undergraduate Studies, prompted by a Berger-Sweeney became dean of Arts well-constructed and thought-out nology groups from Massachusetts desire to alleviate confusion about the and Sciences. data centers in the country,” is locat- Institute of Technology and Harvard changing role of the office and present Upon her arrival, Berger-Sweeney ed at One Summer St. in Boston near University, Irish said. a more accessible front to students. decided to hire an outside consultant to the Downtown Crossing T stop. One Summer St. is now Tufts’ third The newly rechristened office under- gauge perceptions of the office’s name In recent years, as UIT has devel- went structural changes and now and role in the Tufts community, said oped more online services, there has see UIT, page 2 encompasses the Associate Deans Interim Dean of Academic Advising and of Undergraduate Education, the Undergraduate Studies Carmen Lowe. Academic Resource Center and profes- “There was an outside consultant sional advising staff, according to Dean brought in to speak with everybody of Student Services Paul Stanton. in Dowling Hall to get faculty, staff Most other offices that have tradi- and student perceptions about Dowling New department to plan tionally served both graduates and Hall and Student Services,” Lowe said. undergraduates, including Stanton’s “Based on the consultant’s feedback, own department, have remained they decided to do some restructur- space use more holistically unchanged. ing.” BY MICHA E L MAR ks needed a separate planning depart- “So far, there haven’t been many sub- The name change of the office was Daily Staff Writer ment for quite some time. stantive changes in student services,” prompted by the findings of the outside “For a university of our size, with Stanton said. “The changes have taken Responding to a longstanding need seven schools on three different cam- place laterally, in the offices of Student see RESTRUCTURING, page 2 to better manage the university’s facil- puses, we needed a way to coordinate ities, Tufts created the Department of planning between the many facets,” University Space Management and Reynolds said. Planning to oversee the allocation Stanley said most universities of and management of space on all three comparable size to Tufts — including Tufts campuses. Harvard University, Massachusetts Lois Stanley joined Tufts last Institute of Technology, Brown November as the university’s first University and the University of director of university management Massachusetts Amherst — have cam- and planning, overseeing space pus planning departments. inventory, near-term space solutions “Campus planning is everywhere,” and long-term master planning. Stanley said. “It is actually a surprise WILLIAM H. BUTT/TUFTS DAILY Vice President for Operations Dick The rechristened Office of Academic Advising and Undergraduate Studies is housed in Reynolds said the university has see PLANNING, page 2 Dowling Hall. Inside this issue Today’s sections News 1 Op-Ed 9 The Daily takes a look Zooey Deschanel stars at Tufts’ Catholic in Fox’s series ‘New Features 3 Comics 10 community. Girl;’ a profile. Arts & Living 5Classifieds 11 Editorial | Letters 8 Sports Back see FEATURES, page 3 see ARTS, page 5 2 THE TUF T S DAILY NEWS Tuesday, September 27, 2011 Increased enrollment, grant funding lead to additional revenue SURPLUS would determine the need for any nomic climate, according to University possesses during tough economic times. continued from page 1 potential budgetary action,” he said. Director of Public Relations Kim “In these challenging times, the qual- adjust to funding reductions over the “We are carefully watching devel- Thurler. ity of our faculty, staff and students will course of the year, depending on leg- opments in Washington as the Super “Tufts has an approach to managing continue to be our foremost competitive islative and administrative actions,” Committee and Congress grapples its finances that is prudent and con- advantage.” he said. with the long term budget deficit,” he servative and that enables us to man- “It is reassuring to be surrounded Though the university will be mon- added. age those resources effectively,” she by such talented and resourceful col- itoring changes in the economy, as He noted that the university will be said. “That’s one of the things that has leagues, who, I am confident, will work well as possible federal grant cuts, the issuing new bonds in the coming year enabled us to weather the economic with me to find creative solutions to university is not currently planning a to “finance various capital projects ups and downs over the recent years.” whatever challenges we may encounter,” decrease in budget funding for the fis- throughout the university.” Monaco in his email praised the high he added. cal year 2012, McGurty said. The university’s careful financial caliber of the Tufts community, especially “The severity and durations of any management practices enabled the its faculty, staff and administrators, call- —Laina Piera contributed reporting to possible future [economic] decline university to prosper in harsh eco- ing it the strongest asset the university this article. New department to oversee space management PLANNING continued from page 1 that Tufts did not have it.” The nascent planning department consists of the director, Stanley, and Susanne Spano, space planning information system administrator, Stanley said. Much of the department’s work will deal with managing students’ and faculty space requests, including desig- nating special areas for student groups, Reynolds said.

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